


Goodbye, L'Manburg

by mothim



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Character Study, Gen, How Do I Tag This, Manipulation, Set Before the DreamSMP Finale, Set Post-L'Manburg, also pls don't tell me i have to specify that this is the character dream plays & reader, it. is. platonic! there is no relationship, l'manburg, the "clay | dream & reader" tag just straight up doesn't exist, they are two separate entities!, this is platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29256753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothim/pseuds/mothim
Summary: Everything Dream touches, he ruins.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Reader
Kudos: 9





	Goodbye, L'Manburg

**Author's Note:**

> cries i just want to get this fic on ao3 and over with WHY is uploadig to ao3 so hard

The air burned with gunpowder, the smell of rubble still fresh and heady even after the break of morning. There was nothing but rubble in the area - the TNT deployed by Dream, the very explosives that had rained from the sky had ensured there would be nothing left of the city once known as L'manburg. 

The devil himself sat on the top of the obsidian structure that towered over the crater - it was impossible to determine how long he had been up there, but it was clear he was surveying the area. The forced ease of one who studied the land with such intensity was obvious - Dream was only high above the city because of arrogance and surveillance. Dream was keeping an eye on everything, so that no one dare challenge him again. 

You don't know where everyone else had gone after the destruction of the city. 

There was no house that remained standing. Everything was gone - pummeled and blasted into nothing more than dust and dirt, a lucky few areas between cannons given the chance at survival, but not without significant destruction. The ground was too torn up to hold anything good - anything _living_.

Dream was too relaxed to take a defensive stance now. From the ground, it looked to be safe to approach him. 

He was watching too carefully for you to be stealthy. He had clearly already seen you, and if he truly wanted you gone, you would be dead already. 

Making your way up to the obsidian structure was difficult, but not impossible - someone else had already fashioned a rickety staircase up into the sky. You climbed it slowly, but surely, taking in all the damage to the city, half-willing the images in front of you to warp and change, as if the rubble was nothing more than a bizarre nightmare from your mind's eye. 

As you ascended, a tune floated down from where Dream sat, chills rising on your skin with the wind and recognition of that melody. Dream, unfortunately, was one smart bastard. He knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what singing the L'manburg anthem would do to someone who cared about the city. 

_Yet_ , you acknowledged. _Something was different_. The words were off, but they were hard to hear. You climbed just a bit higher, and shivered when the only differences to the anthem were the past tense, and, _goodbye, L'manburg_. 

"Dream," you greeted, climbing one last swatch of wooden planks, and stepping onto the obsidian platforms. He turned to greet you, mask ever still, and you swallowed. There was always something otherworldly about his presence. 

"Hello," he said, the hint of amusement in his voice. If you were to be silent, you would almost mistake it for warmth. 

Yet, you knew - after the events of the day before, there was nothing that would be warm about his voice to you again. 

"Why are you here?" You asked, risking a glance at the gaps in the platform. It was a long way down. Your mind thought to the water bucket in your inventory. If Dream pushed you down, you would need to bring it to your hand quickly. 

Could you catch yourself in time? Out of the two of you, Tommy had always been the better one at what he liked to call 'MLG.' 

Dream's voice brought you out of your thoughts.

"I'm here because I have nowhere else to be," he smirked, and you thought about wiping that smug-ass look clean off his face. You thought about how his mask would _crunch_ as it broke under your knuckles. You thought about how you could - really, you could - shove him off the platform where he sat so faux-carefully. 

You regarded him coldly. "And whose fault is that, really?"

Dream did nothing but smile. You didn't need the mask to tell you how wide he was grinning. 

The wind whipped around you, rising suddenly. Dream tipped his head back, reclining on his arm. He looked at peace, stretching his neck and shoulders in the sun that revealed itself with the movement of the clouds. After a moment, the clouds rolled back to dump sunlight on you, too, and you figured that it would most likely be safe to sit. 

You chose the same area where Dream lounged, and sat gingerly on the obsidian. It was a long way down - your legs dangled freely, and if you made one wrong move, so would everything else. When you looked down, you couldn't see anything but rock and destruction, hot magma flowing and ebbing at the very bottom of the crater. Frustration, hot as the substance that glowed so brightly, burned its way into your chest. It wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair_.

"Why did you do this, Dream?" You asked, catching the god's attention. 

His tone held that same, sick tone of amusement in his reply. "What do you mean?" He asked, peering at you. "Don't you know?"

You bit your lip, tongue flicking at the chapped sections. "I don't know," you admitted, regretting that this made you look particularly stupid in front of the one who could absolutely use this lack of knowledge to ruin you. "I don't know how you managed to start something with others, and build it up - only to destroy it all." 

Destroy was what Dream did. He destroyed the bonds between souls. He destroyed every block built and every distance covered. He followed those with hope and ambition and reduced them to be resigned and docile. He always left a trace where he followed; _everything one touched, Dream ruined_. 

"They were always there to get the story started, of course," Dream offered. "But things never changed until Tommy joined the server. Everything became so fun, you understand?" And you _didn't_ understand; it made you sick to hear this monster refer to your friend with such an offhand tone. "But, he got cocky. He started thinking things could actually _be about him_ \- do you understand how foolish he is?" Dream laughed, a short exhalation of air, as if he could barely even believe what he was saying. He turned to you again. "I'll never kill Tommy. He's too important. But I will destroy everything he's ever worked for."

You swallowed against the lump in your throat. Why must Dream's mind work like this? 

"And if Tommy simply walks away from the SMP?" You asked. "You can't control him forever. He'll give up everything he's worked for for peace. I know he will." You didn't know this for sure - Tommy was too much of a firework, always charging into danger for the objects of his attachments. 

"I won't let him," the god resolved. "It's _my_ SMP; I can control where he goes, what he does. He is _powerless_ to me." A shiver seemed to run through Dream's form, and you blanched at the blatant enjoyment of such declarations - a god high on ego, hell-bent on creating the perfect storyline, the perfect ending...

"You can't control him. Not through objects. Tommy is stronger than you give him credit for," you spat, tired of hearing the slander that Dream put the other through. 

Another grin. You were getting sick of this. 

" _Not through objects_ , you say?" Another laugh, a small shake of the head. "I'll keep that in mind."

 _You are a horrible man_ , your mind chanted. _You are a horrible, horrible creature who never deserved the title of god_.

You got up from your spot on the obsidian deathtrap, eyes fixated firmly on the platform, putting one leg in front of the other. You could sense both the curiosity and satisfaction that emanated from Dream, and anger curled in your stomach. Something hot and dangerous made it's way into your voice as you spoke, voice low and composed; "We're done talking, Dream."

The man laughed. "I'd say that we are."


End file.
